She let out a sharp laugh as she glared at them with disdain. “You came to beg for food, and you still have the guts to speak to me.”
Ashley gasped. “Madam, please don’t speak to my parents like that—”
The words barely left her mouth before a resounding slap echoed through the hall.
Victoria’s hand struck Ashley’s cheek with brutal force, sending her stumbling back. The guests turned, gasps and murmurs rippling through the grand hall.
“You stupid brat!” Victoria spat, her expression twisted in disdain. “We still allow you to stay here, let you clean up after us, and you think you have the right to talk back?”
Ashley clutched her burning cheek, her eyes wide with humiliation and pain.
The air turned suffocating.
Lance’s jaw tensed, his entire body rigid. A storm brewed in his eyes, d
